Too Much Good Stuff

If you’re exhausted and happy, you’re doing something right.

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A February Backpack

Being from the northwest, a backpacking trip in February is a bit of a novelty. It can be done, but it takes quite a bit of luck for things to line up correctly, at least for a trip that isn’t a complete sufferfest. It’s been a little hard to pick up the habit of winter […]

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Lake Margaret Loop

Our beautiful loop trip to Lake Margaret in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.  The weather I would describe as “dynamic”, with soaking rain showers, hail, sun breaks, and rainbows. Lake Margaret on our first morning out.  We got soaked the previous night, like a half-hour before reaching camp (we realized our rainpants were still sitting in […]

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Pear Lake

It rained.  Our goal was to do an out and back to Pear Lake — a short nine mile or so trip.  We made it out four miles the first day before we decided to set up the tent.  We relaxed in the tent, had coffee, read.  It was nice.  We went to bed planning […]

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Jennie Lake Loop

Our first backpacking trip with Mason was a bit of a test, just a quick out-and-back to test the waters of backpacking with a two-and-a-half year old.  This trip, his second backpack actually felt like a real backpack.  We did three days, backpacking 8 miles the first day, 9 the second, and 10 on our […]

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The Little Man’s First Backpacking Trip

The little man is nearly three, it’s time to get him out on his first backpacking trip. For this first attempt, we headed up to Blue Lake, just out of Bishop, California.  It turned out to be a great option — only three or four miles out to the lake, with a little elevation gain, […]

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Sawmill Pass

Looking into Woods Lake Basin from Sawmill Pass I had time for a quick three day trip up to the Sierras.  Options are somewhat limited this time of year, so heading up one of the canyons on the eastern side of the range seemed like a good option.  Starting at 4,636′, the Sawmill Pass Trail […]

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Klonaqua Cradle Loop

This was a relatively short loop trip on the eastern edge of the Alpine Lakes.  Beginning at Icicle Creek Road, I hiked up to Klonaqua Lakes, then backtracked back to the main trail, and headed up the Snowall Creek Trail to Cradle Lake where I set up camp for my second night (where the wind was blowing […]

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You do what you have to do to play in the Mountains

It’s way too early, but today I’ll see mountains.

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My Favorite Images From Our Pacific Crest Trail Adventure

Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild” came out a couple days ago — her story about hiking 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). While a movie being made about the trail honestly kind of annoys me, and a lot of other PCT hikers for various reasons, it did get me thinking a little bit about my […]

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